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I had planned to write a post about my nebulizer treatment routine, but then I thought….what the heck, I’ll just video it!
Its spontaneous , unedited and kinda lame, but it’s the real deal and it’s what I have to do at least 6 times a day. ( recorded on 1-28-2009)
Posts from the Past
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No Thermoplasty for Steve
[JP-Facebook-Like] Ive been getting a lot of email lately from people asking me if I'm gonna have the new clinical trials phase of this new procedure back in 2006, because my asthma was deemed “too severe” by the study investigators. People with ...)
#97 , misinformation and a virus from Hell
[JP-Facebook-Like] Battle scars: 4 failed arterial line attempts and 12 failed IV attempts. I have no veins left and my radial arteries are so scarred up from previous insertions, that it's virtually impossible to get access unless they put a ...)
Propofol
[JP-Facebook-Like] This is a picture of me on a ventilator last year during a severe asthma exacerbation ( what they call status asthmaticus). See the little IV bottle inside the blue rectangle with the milky looking stuff inside ? ...)
I look too Healthy
[JP-Facebook-Like] I get this all the time......... "You look so healthy" "You don't look like you have a disability" "You can walk farther then I can" "You look amazingly fit for someone with severe asthma" "You make ...)
Cracking the stems off of Primatine mist bottles.
[JP-Facebook-Like] I don't usually write about my childhood, because frankly, its too painful and because most of it is so outrageous, that a lot of people wouldn't believe it anyway. But just for kicks, I thought Id share one of my ...)
A quarter million puffs
[JP-Facebook-Like] Care for some Albuterol? (Hey.....how did the primatine mist get in there?) I sometimes jokingly claim that Ive)
Another piece of the asthma puzzle
[JP-Facebook-Like] Just got my lung biopsy report back from SARP study, are starting to paint a clearer picture of why my asthma is so severe. If there's any good news in all this, it's that there's a new drug ...)
Behind that finish line smile
[JP-Facebook-Like] Ok, so I look really strong in some of my finish line photos, but believe me.. looks can be very very deceiving. I'm an expert at hiding what I feel inside (I think most asthmatics are, to some degree.) ...)
My Lung Biopsy findings
Just got my lung biopsy report back from Dr Wenzel. Seems I have high levels of a type of cell called a mast cell. A “normal” (not cancer) cell that has long been seen in asthma patients. But, mine are ...)
Pre-Boston swag
Most of the marathon attire that Ive accumulated over the last 3 years usually ends up in a duffel bag crammed in the corner of my closet , never to be seen again. This jacket is gonna get worn a ...)
I'm a recovering Albuter-holic
Rick, the author of the Respiratory Therapy Cave , wrote to me the other day talking about what it was like growing up with severe asthma. One of the things he mentioned that I thought was kinda funny, ...)
Circa 1981
Attending the recent taping of Barry Manilow's Music& Passion Special in Las Vegas and checking out all the sound production equipment and everything, made me flash back to a time when I was actually doing sound production for a living. ...)
The first few days are the worst
First of all , thank you everyone! for all the nice comments. They mean a lot to me. My apologizes for the self pity thing in the previous post. I guess even us butch super hero ...)
Off to the Eternal city
(Piazza Navona) Well, after a close call with my lungs this weekend , in just a few hours and with a ton medications in tow, I'll be on a plane to Italy for the start of my Roman adventure. This ...)
Walk kind of walker are you?
Just as runners come in a variety of flavors (joggers, runners, sprinters, hurdlers, marathoners, ultramarathoners, etc.),not all walkers are alike. They also come in an assortment of flavors. ( Marciatori Racewalking Track... Circa 1900 ) (Italy's Ugo Frigerio wins the 10-kilometer ...)
Reflecting
It's weird, but when I look at my marathon photos, it's almost like I'm looking at a stranger . It's as though someone else did this race for me and I just went along for the ride. ...)
The nights are the worse.
Ever notice the time stamp on many of my blog entries? I usually compose and publish them in the early morning hours...sometimes way before dawn. You know why? Because I'm usually awake at 3 or 4 in ...)
Walking Expenses
Living on a fixed income, I have to track all of my expenses closely. I just figured out that in the last 6 months ,I spent a total of $1175.97 on walking related stuff . This includes fees ...)
Battle Scars......Electrode Gum
Can anyone out there relate to this...... You've been home from the hospital for a few days now, and you still can't get all that electrode gum off your chest? It's like a black rubber ...6 times a day
A sweet 12 miler
It’s not often that I get to say this, but Sunday was one of those rare long slow distance days, where everything seemed to go smoothly and where I didn’t have any major aches or pains getting me down. Other than being a little nippy with a few light sprinkles at the beginning , I’d say it was a near perfect walk.
Did my usual route from the foot of Market st along the SF waterfront to the foot of the Golden Gate bridge and back. The time seemed to fly by, and as the Ferry Building clock came into view on my way back in, I remember breaking out in a huge grin. I had covered 12 miles in 3:05 , or just a tad over a 15min/mile pace. A little fast for a long slow day, and a little slow for a tempo walk, but I’m very happy overall. I’m also happy that I was able to contain my urge to racewalk for long intervals and instead, only racewalked enough to bank some extra time for the pits stops. I think this strategy helped save my legs and maybe even my lungs.
Just 6 weeks ago after completing my first 10 miler of the season, I remember saying to myself (as I always do at the beginning of marathon training) ” If I feel this bad after walking 10 miles, how in the hell am I ever going to walk 26.2? ” Ever ask yourself the same question?
Isn’t it amazing though, that by being persistent in your training and gradually increasing your mileage by just one or two miles every other week , that you end up conditioning both your body and mind to the point where those medium distances of 10-14 miles (what I call base walks), actually get easier and you end up with a day like I had today.
My lungs held out great during the walk ( I think I only used my inhaler 4 times), but course later on that evening, just like clockwork, my peak flows took a nose dive and Ive been flaring up pretty significantly ever since. In my book though , this is a small price to pay for such a stellar workout.
Next weekend starts the serious stuff….a 19 miler followed two weeks later by 21 miler , with a 12 and 14 miler on the alternate weeks. Will it ever end?
Marathon walking
Me and Elvis do the Rome Marathon
Hey, what does yours truly, Elvis and the “Flying Grandmother” all have in Common? …The Rome Marathon of course. Check out these other Italian websites : Corridori
Marathon Training
Taper time
.!. I usually don’t write reports on training walks, but the “20 miler” is different. It’s almost like a marathon because towards the end, you kinda enter that nomans land ( anything over 18 miles) where your body starts telling you. .”Ok, Ive had enough now” “Why are you torturing me” ..”Just put a bullet [...]
Exercise&Fitness
16 mile Bridge to Bridge walk.
OK…so last Wednesday I walked from the foot of the Oakland Bay Bridge , along the embarcadero all the way over the Golden Gate to the bridge to the vista point, and then back to the Bay bridge, for a total of 16.3 miles. The weather was picture perfect and my breathing was good. Maybe [...]
Air-trapping
Training to get sick?
Seems to be the new theme around here. Do a long training walk……get sick. ( by sick I mean an asthma exacerbation) Thursday I did the second to the last of my really long training walks for the Boston and Rome marathons (18.1 miles to be exact), and now, a day later, I’m having a [...]
Boston Marathon
I wonder ?
I wonder what it would be like, for someone like me, to walk the mother of all races? To be allowed to participate in the most prestigious marathon in the world? I’m referring of course, to the
Asthma medical tests
The Culprit
Finally, a possible explanation of what’s been causing the numbness and pain in my right arm, hand and shoulder. After more than
Exercise&Fitness
Its Shoe time!
It’s time once again to decide on a shoe to wear for this years long training walks ,and of course , the race itself. So far, Ive narrowed it down to either the Asics Hyperspeed 2s, or the Loco Banditos . I’ve used the Asics on my 5 milers a few times and they worked [...]
Asthma medical tests
The Great Experiment
Earlier this week I got a chance to sit down with my Pulmonologists to discuss the problem Ive been having with these acute flare-ups that seem to develop a couple hours after doing my longer walks. (Sorry, this post has a lot of medical respiratory jargon in it, but I couldn’t find a way around [...]
Achievements
Ready or not, Boston here I come !
here) and from what people have told me, it should be a pretty exciting 4 days. I’m looking forward to meeting up with a few of my friends who are also doing the race. I’d also like to get out and tour some the famous Boston area sights. Ive never been to any of the [...]
Air-trapping
13 miles…. but at what price ?
OK, I’m starting to get a little frustrated. Ive been doing everything by the book in training for the upcoming marathon in March, but it seems that my body has other plans. It was an absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning and a perfect day for walking in San Francisco, but once again, a couple hours after [...]
Fitness Walking
The answer is ….YES !
Received the official word today, looks like I’ll get a chance to walk the mother of all marathons. My application for a slot in the “mobility impaired” division of the Boston Marathon was approved. More details as I get them….
